Narendra Modi may be inducted into BJP’s parliamentary board

New Delhi: As voices continue to arise within the Bharatiya Janata Party for making Narendra Modi as the party`s prime ministerial candidate, reports suggest that the Gujarat Chief Minister is all set be inducted into the party’s parliamentary board.

Notably, the parliamentary board is the highest decision making body of the BJP and Modi’s elevation is being viewed as a step to bring him to the forefront keeping in view the upcoming 2014 General Elections.

The decision is expected to be announced after BJP president Rajnath Singh’s meet with RSS and VHP leaders at Maha Kumbh. Meanwhile, reports also suggested that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will also be included in the highest decision making body.

Last week, party president Rajnath Singh had said that only the parliamentary board of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would decide on the prime ministerial candidate.

"I have already said, it will be decided by the party... who will be chief ministerial candidate, or who would be prime ministerial candidate, it is decided in a proper forum, which is the parliamentary board," Rajnath Singh had said.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who is being tipped as a top contender as the BJP`s prime ministerial nominee for the 2014 General Elections, met Rajnath Singh recently and held "detailed discussions" signifying his increasing national role.

The two leaders had a two-hour long meeting and said they mainly discussed the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, but refused to give any details.

"We sat together for a couple of hours and discussed Gujarat and the 2014 elections," the BJP president had told reporters, adding: "The day I was elected party president, Narendra bhai called me and congratulated me. He said he would come to Delhi and meet me."

BJP is facing a tough time over the projection of party’s prime ministerial candidate. Senior leaders like Yashwant Sinha, CP Thakur and Ram Jethmalani have openly advocated Modi’s name for party`s prime ministerial candidate.

But voices in the BJP in support of Modi`s candidature have not made an impact on the party`s allies in the National Democratic Alliance.

Janata Dal-United (JD-U) has already indicated its reservations over making Modi the prime ministerial candidate while Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut backed Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj for the post.

"We feel Sushma Swaraj is the suitable candidate for the PM`s post," Raut said in Mumbai.

JD(U) leader Shivanand Tiwari yesterday lost his temper when reporters persistently asked him about his reaction to the possibility of Narendra Modi becoming Prime Ministerial candidate, saying it seemed the media had made the issue "a monkey disease”.

"I fail to understand why media is getting restless on this issue (Modi as PM). It is our job to decide as to who will be the PM candidate...Media has made the matter a monkey disease," said a visibly angry Tiwari, who has on several occasions voiced the party`s strong reservation on Modi`s candidature for the top post.

With Congress announcing that Rahul Gandhi will lead party campaign for the next Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and RSS need to take a decision soon on party’s face for the 2014 elections.